NCJ Number
166699
Journal
American Jails Volume: 10 Issue: 5 Dated: (November/December 1996) Pages: 31-32,35-36
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article profiles the MATCH/PATCH programs of Bexar County, Texas, which provide parenting education for both male and female inmates as well as weekly contact visitation with their children.
Abstract
Both programs have five components: inmate participation, community involvement, parent-child contact visits, support groups, and security policies. Inmate parents volunteer for the programs and are cleared through the classification division for participation. Volunteers assist as class facilitators, support group leaders, visitation day escorts and monitors, and clerical support. The business community provides in-kind donations and holiday activities for the children. Colleges and universities provide interns from the criminal justice, sociology, psychology, and social work fields. Classes provide information on responsible parenting, prevention of substance abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, child development, HIV/AIDS and other health issues, decision-making, assertiveness, self-esteem, ethics, cultural diversity, budgeting, educational and community resources, and postrelease planning. The contact visits are the heart of the program. Children, ages newborn to 16 years, are allowed to visit in a child-friendly environment. In these visits inmate parents have an opportunity to practice positive parenting skills taught in class. Feedback is provided to the parents during the support groups following visitation. Studies have shown that inmates who maintain ties with their families while incarcerated are more likely to have a positive adjustment in the community after release. Further, the nurturing of the parent- child bond while incarcerated may help prevent children from becoming delinquents. 18 references